1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus and in particular a facsimile apparatus which is connected to a telephone network via a single telephone line and has both facsimile function and telephone function or has a single facsimile function.
2. Related Art
In the related art, a facsimile apparatus has been used having telephone mode, facsimile mode and automatic switching mode. One mode is arbitrarily selected from among the three modes by the operator or is automatically activated in accordance with a preset time table. Such a facsimile apparatus may be efficiently used by selecting the optimum mode among the three modes.
However, in such a construction, the operator must perform the mode setting each time as is necessary so as to achieve the optimum mode setting, and the setting operations are inconvenient for the operator.
Another facsimile apparatus has a predetermined ring number such that a facsimile-data reception operation is started after the predetermined number of rings occur. The predetermined ring number may be altered. In a case where the predetermined ring number is previously set at a large number, the facsimile apparatus acts as a telephone set if the operator responds to the ringing signal before the predetermined number of rings occur and acts a facsimile-data receiver if not. On the other hand, by previously setting the predetermined ring number at a smaller number, the facsimile apparatus may be made to almost always act as the facsimile receiver accordingly.
However, the operator must alter the predetermined ring number each time as is necessary. The operator must reduce the predetermined ring number if the operator intends to use the apparatus as the facsimile receiver, the reduction operations being inconvenient for the operator. Further, if the operator forgets to reduce the predetermined ring number, time is wasted before the ringing tones occur in the predetermined ring number even if the operator intends to use the facsimile receiver function.
Another facsimile apparatus has a ring volume adjusting function. By appropriately adjusting the ring volume, the facsimile apparatus can cause even an operator who is located far from the apparatus to be aware of the incoming call immediately.
However, in a case where no operator exists near the apparatus, at night for example, the ringing tones act as noise for persons having no concern with the apparatus.
Another facsimile apparatus has a constant heat providing function of always providing heat to an image fixing unit which fixes a toner image formed on a recording sheet using the provided heat to be applied to the recording sheet with the toner image. The toner image is previously formed on the recording sheet by means of a well-known electrophotographic image forming unit. By the above function, since the heat is always provided to the image fixing unit, a relevant image can be output after being fixed on a recording sheet immediately without substantial delay, which image is currently being received through the facsimile function.
However, in a case where no operator exists around the apparatus, at night for example, a relevant image does not need to be output immediately even if the image is received through the facsimile function. Constantly providing heat to the image fixing unit even after-hours wastes heat energy.